Rep. Washburne: More support for judges

STATEHOUSE – House Bill (HB) 1411 authored by State Representative Tom Washburne (R-Evansville) passed out of the House Tuesday with a unanimous vote.

“Helping our judges focus on their jobs by giving them a little extra help can only improve the efficiency of our judicial system,” Rep. Washburne said. “I look forward to input on this topic from the Senate and hope to see it go to the governor’s desk for a signature.”

HB 1411 creates the Circuit Court and Superior Court Staff Attorney Pilot Program to give Indiana circuit and superior court judges assistance when preparing orders for dispositive motions or opinions. The Indiana Judicial Center will create and administer the program and report to the Commission on Courts for possible implementation statewide after the two-year test model.

Support for HB 1411 was shown by former Chief Justice Randall Shepard, the Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Indiana Judicial Center, the Indiana Judges Association, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana Manufacturers Association.

“Many people have their request for an opinion denied and end up never understanding the judge’s ruling on their case,” said Rep. Washburne. “This will hopefully give them peace of mind while reducing the amount of frivolous follow-up lawsuits in our Indiana court system, increasing court efficiency and decreasing costs to the court.”

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State Rep. Tom Washburne serves as Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He also serves on the Financial Institutions Committee and the Select Committee on Government Reduction. Rep. Washburne represents the entirety of Gibson County and portions of Knox, Pike, Vanderburgh and Posey counties.